To the average man, his penis is one of the most important things in the whole world. But then a note of uncertainty enters his mind: 'Isn't mine rather small?'

No matter how often it's written that penile size doesn't matter, and that women aren't attracted to a man because of the length of his organ, the average male continues to think the same way.

It is also worth noting two points about women:

* some women really dislike the idea of a large penis, and may be frightened by one that is too long.

* some women are much more impressed by the thickness of a penis, rather than its length. This is because some females like the sense of feeling stretched round the entrance to the vagina – so if a guy is quite broad at the base of his penis, this can feel very exciting and satisfying to such women

The trouble is that every man sees his own penis in a foreshortened view. The angle at which you look down inevitably makes your penis seem shorter than it is.

But when you glance at another man's organ, there's no such foreshortening effect, so very often it'll look as though the other guy is slightly better endowed.

Average penis length

A non-erect penis usually measures between 8.5cm and 10.5cm (3-4 inches) from tip to base.

The average figure is about 9.5cm (3.75 inches), but this kind of precise measurement is rather valueless. Many factors can cause a temporary shrinkage of two inches or more, for instance cold weather or going swimming.

Most people think that a tall man will usually have a large penis, but this is not entirely true. The distinguished American researchers Masters and Johnson measured the penile lengths of more than 300 men.

* The largest organ was 14 cm (5.5 inches) in the flaccid state. It belonged to a slim man who was 5' 7" tall (170 cm).

* The smallest penis measured 6cm (2.25 inches). It belonged to a fairly heavily built man of 5' 11" (180cm).

It's also worth pointing out that there is no correlation between penile size and race.

Average size of erections

Interestingly, most penises are very much the same size when erect.

* The man whose non-erect penis is smallish will usually achieve about a 100 per cent increase in length during sexual excitement.

* The man whose non-erect penis is on the largish size will probably manage about a 75 per cent increase.

* This means the great majority of penises measure between 15cm and 18cm (6-7 inches) when erect, with the average figure being about 16.5cm (6.5 inches).

Sex and women

Virtually every man forgets that it doesn't matter how long or how short your penis is, because the vagina will accommodate itself to any length.